@rse/ase 0.9.12 → 0.9.14

package/dst/ase-compat.js

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ const EXPECTED = {
     "xml-placeholders/overwrite": "99",
     "xml-placeholders/indexed": "+1,-1",
     "xml-placeholders/nested-attr": "20",
-    "xml-placeholders/entity": "○",
+    "xml-placeholders/entity": "⦿",
     /*  control-flow  */
     "control-flow/branch": "mid",
     "control-flow/while-sum": "15",

package/dst/ase-diagram.js

@@ -117,12 +117,15 @@ export class Diagram {
     /*  detect terminal color capability  */
     static detectColorMode() {
         let mode = "none";
+        let explicit = false;
         /*  attempt 1: query environment variable (explicitly)  */
         if (process.env.ASE_TERM_COLORS !== undefined)
-            if (/^(?:none|ansi16|ansi256)$/.test(process.env.ASE_TERM_COLORS))
+            if (/^(?:none|ansi16|ansi256)$/.test(process.env.ASE_TERM_COLORS)) {
                 mode = process.env.ASE_TERM_COLORS;
+                explicit = true;
+            }
         /*  attempt 2: query stdout  */
-        if (mode === "none" && process.stdout.isTTY) {
+        if (!explicit && process.stdout.isTTY) {
             const depth = process.stdout.getColorDepth();
             if (depth >= 8)
                 mode = "ansi256";

package/dst/ase-getopt.js

@@ -108,7 +108,8 @@ export class GetoptMCP {
                 if (listOpts.length > 0) {
                     const opts = cmd.opts();
                     for (const { long, choices } of listOpts) {
-                        const v = opts[long];
+                        const key = long.replace(/-(.)/g, (_, c) => c.toUpperCase());
+                        const v = opts[key];
                         if (typeof v !== "string")
                             continue;
                         const items = v.split(",").map((s) => s.trim()).filter((s) => s.length > 0);

package/dst/ase-kv.js

@@ -45,10 +45,21 @@ export class KV {
         KV.validateKey(key);
         return KV.store.delete(key);
     }
-    /*  clear all keys; returns the number of keys removed  */
-    static clear() {
-        const n = KV.store.size;
-        KV.store.clear();
+    /*  clear all keys, or just those starting with the given `prefix`;
+        returns the number of keys removed  */
+    static clear(prefix) {
+        if (prefix === undefined || prefix === "") {
+            const n = KV.store.size;
+            KV.store.clear();
+            return n;
+        }
+        let n = 0;
+        for (const key of KV.store.keys()) {
+            if (key.startsWith(prefix)) {
+                KV.store.delete(key);
+                n++;
+            }
+        }
         return n;
     }
     /*  snapshot the entire store into a fresh map (for transactional batch)  */
@@ -112,12 +123,17 @@ export class KVMCP {
         /*  key/value clear  */
         mcp.registerTool("ase_kv_clear", {
             title: "ASE key/value clear",
-            description: "Remove all keys from the in-memory key/value store. " +
+            description: "Remove keys from the in-memory key/value store. " +
+                "If `prefix` is given, only keys starting with `prefix` are removed; " +
+                "otherwise all keys are removed. " +
                 "Returns a status `text` indicating how many keys were removed.",
-            inputSchema: {}
-        }, async () => {
+            inputSchema: {
+                prefix: z.string().optional()
+                    .describe("if given, only remove keys starting with this prefix (otherwise remove all keys)")
+            }
+        }, async (args) => {
             try {
-                const n = KV.clear();
+                const n = KV.clear(args.prefix);
                 return { content: [{ type: "text", text: `kv_clear: OK: removed ${n} key(s)` }] };
             }
             catch (err) {
@@ -151,8 +167,9 @@ export class KVMCP {
         mcp.registerTool("ase_kv_batch", {
             title: "ASE key/value batch",
             description: "Execute an array of in-memory key/value `commands` in a single MCP call. " +
-                "Each entry is an object `{ command: \"clear\"|\"set\"|\"get\"|\"delete\", key?, val? }` " +
+                "Each entry is an object `{ command: \"clear\"|\"set\"|\"get\"|\"delete\", key?, val?, prefix? }` " +
                 "and is dispatched to the corresponding single-op tool. " +
+                "For `clear`, an optional `prefix` restricts removal to keys starting with it. " +
                 "If `transactional` is true, the store is snapshotted up-front and rolled back on the " +
                 "first per-command error (remaining commands are skipped); otherwise per-command errors " +
                 "are recorded and execution continues. " +
@@ -168,7 +185,9 @@ export class KVMCP {
                     key: z.string().optional()
                         .describe("key identifier (required for `set`/`get`/`delete`)"),
                     val: z.union([z.string(), z.number(), z.boolean(), z.null(), z.array(z.any()), z.record(z.string(), z.any())]).optional()
-                        .describe("value to store (required for `set`)")
+                        .describe("value to store (required for `set`)"),
+                    prefix: z.string().optional()
+                        .describe("if given for `clear`, only remove keys starting with this prefix (otherwise remove all keys)")
                 }))
                     .describe("ordered list of KV commands to execute"),
                 transactional: z.boolean().optional()
@@ -182,7 +201,7 @@ export class KVMCP {
             for (const c of args.commands) {
                 try {
                     if (c.command === "clear") {
-                        const n = KV.clear();
+                        const n = KV.clear(c.prefix);
                         results.push(`kv_clear: OK: removed ${n} key(s)`);
                         cmdNames.push("clear");
                     }

package/dst/ase-mcp.js

@@ -133,6 +133,8 @@ export default class MCPCommand {
         };
         /*  trigger a reconnect chain (idempotent while one is active)  */
         const triggerReconnect = (reason) => {
+            if (reconnecting)
+                return;
             reconnecting = true;
             this.log.write("warning", `mcp: ${reason} — reconnecting`);
             reconnect(0).catch(() => { });

package/dst/ase-persona.js

@@ -21,7 +21,10 @@ export class Persona {
         const val = cfg.get("agent.persona");
         if (val === undefined)
             return "engineer";
-        return String(isScalar(val) ? val.value : val);
+        const style = String(isScalar(val) ? val.value : val);
+        if (!Persona.styles.includes(style))
+            return "engineer";
+        return style;
     }
     /*  set the persona style on the strongest scope of an optional session  */
     static set(log, style, session) {

package/dst/ase-skills.js

@@ -263,10 +263,20 @@ export class Skills {
         const halfLife = 365 / 2;
         /*  lifespan requires both timestamps; recentness requires the
             updated timestamp -- any unavailable date-derived factor is
-            treated as neutral `1` so the entry can still be ranked by the
-            remaining metrics, instead of collapsing the product to zero  */
+            given a neutral default so the entry can still be ranked by the
+            remaining metrics, instead of collapsing the product to zero.
+            For `lifespan` (an unbounded duration) the multiplicative-neutral
+            `1` is also the low floor, so a missing value cannot unfairly
+            inflate the rank. For `recentness`, however, the value is an
+            exp-decay factor bounded in `(0,1]` where `1` is the *ceiling*
+            (a just-now update), not a floor -- defaulting a missing update
+            date to `1` would hand packages with absent metadata the highest
+            possible recentness and let them outrank genuinely fresh ones.
+            We therefore default a missing `recentness` to the decay value at
+            one half-life (`0.5`), a conservative midpoint that keeps the
+            entry rankable without rewarding the missing date.  */
         const lifespan = (!Number.isNaN(cMs) && !Number.isNaN(uMs)) ? Math.max(0, uMs - cMs) : 1;
-        const recentness = !Number.isNaN(uMs) ? Math.exp(-Math.max(0, (now - uMs) / msPerDay) / halfLife) : 1;
+        const recentness = !Number.isNaN(uMs) ? Math.exp(-Math.max(0, (now - uMs) / msPerDay) / halfLife) : 0.5;
         return d * s * lifespan * recentness;
     }
     /*  compute the per-alternative product-sum (rating) row from a

package/dst/ase-statusline.js

@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ const formatTokens = (n) => {
     if (n >= 1_000_000)
         return `${(n / 1_000_000).toFixed(1)}M`;
     if (n >= 1_000)
-        return `${Math.round(n / 1_000)}k`;
+        return `${(n / 1_000).toFixed(1)}k`;
     return `${n}`;
 };
 /*  format a millisecond duration as a compact human-readable string (e.g. 6d 12hr 7m, 4hr 27m, 12m 30s)  */
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ export default class StatuslineCommand {
                     emit(`${prefix("◔", "context")}${bar} ${pct}%`);
                 },
                 C: () => {
-                    const pct = Math.floor(data.context_window?.used_percentage ?? 0);
+                    const pct = data.context_window?.used_percentage ?? 0;
                     const tokensCur = (data.context_window?.total_input_tokens ?? 0) +
                         (data.context_window?.total_output_tokens ?? 0);
                     const tokensLim = pct > 0 && tokensCur > 0 ? Math.round(tokensCur * 100 / pct) : 0;

package/dst/ase.js

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import ArtifactCommand from "./ase-artifact.js";
 import CompatCommand from "./ase-compat.js";
 import pkg from "../package.json" with { type: "json" };
 /*  globally initialize logger  */
-const log = new Log("ase", "warning", "-");
+const log = new Log("ase", "info", "-");
 /*  main entry point (wrapped in a regular async function to avoid
     top-level await, which would be reported as "unsettled" by Node in
     the long-running daemon process spawned by "ase service start")  */

package/package.json

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     "homepage":                             "http://github.com/rse/ase",
     "repository":                           { "url": "git+https://github.com/rse/ase.git", "type": "git" },
     "bugs":                                 { "url": "http://github.com/rse/ase/issues" },
-    "version":                              "0.9.12",
+    "version":                              "0.9.14",
     "license":                              "GPL-3.0-only",
     "author": {
         "name":                             "Dr. Ralf S. Engelschall",

package/plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
     "name":        "ase",
-    "version":     "0.9.12",
+    "version":     "0.9.14",
     "description": "Agentic Software Engineering (ASE)",
     "keywords":    [ "agentic", "software", "engineering" ],
     "homepage":    "https://ase.tools",

package/plugin/.codex-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
     "name":        "ase",
-    "version":     "0.9.12",
+    "version":     "0.9.14",
     "description": "Agentic Software Engineering (ASE)",
     "keywords":    [ "agentic", "software", "engineering" ],
     "homepage":    "https://ase.tools",

package/plugin/.github/plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
     "name":        "ase",
-    "version":     "0.9.12",
+    "version":     "0.9.14",
     "description": "Agentic Software Engineering (ASE)",
     "keywords":    [ "agentic", "software", "engineering" ],
     "homepage":    "https://ase.tools",

package/plugin/agents/ase-meta-chat.md

@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@ tools:
 
 @../meta/ase-control.md
 
-1.  Treat `$ARGUMENTS` as a single whitespace-separated string.
-    Set <llm/> to the *first* token.
-    Set <query/> to the *second and all following* tokens.
+1.  Set <args>$ARGUMENTS</args>, the single whitespace-separated string.
+    Set <llm/> to the *first* token of <args/>.
+    Set <query/> to the *second and all following* tokens of <args/>.
     You *MUST* *NOT* output anything related to this step.
 
 2.  Set <server></server> (set to empty).

package/plugin/meta/ase-dialog.md

@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ following procedure:
 
     Do not output anything in this step!
 
-2.  Dispatch according to the agent tool:
+2.  Render the custom dialog, collect the user input, and dispatch on the result:
 
     1.  You *MUST* not output anything in this step.
 

package/plugin/meta/ase-format-arch.md

@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ at runtime.
         for the component's existence and boundary.
 
     -   In case a component has no dependencies at all, the
-        entire `- Depends On:` bullet point is omitted.
+        entire `-   Depends On:` bullet point is omitted.
 
     -   In case the rationale is not present, the
         entire `, **BECAUSE** [...]` clause is omitted.
@@ -666,8 +666,16 @@ How the Non-Functional Requirements (NR) are addressed.
         perspective addresses, one of `Performance`, `Scalability`,
         `Reliability`, `Availability`, `Security`, `Privacy`,
         `Usability`, `Accessibility`, `Maintainability`, `Portability`,
-        `Compatibility`, or `Compliance` (aligned with the Non-Functional
-        Requirements categories).
+        `Compatibility`, or `Compliance`. This enumeration is a
+        solution-oriented refinement of the Non-Functional Requirements
+        (NR) categories and intentionally differs from them: the NR
+        categories follow the ISO/IEC 25010:2023 top-level characteristics
+        (and include `Safety` and `Flexibility`), whereas the perspective
+        qualities decompose some of these into the finer-grained,
+        architecturally actionable attributes `Scalability`,
+        `Availability`, `Privacy`, `Accessibility`, and `Portability`. A
+        perspective's quality therefore need not match the category of the
+        `SPEC-NR-<spec-nr-requirement-id/>` it addresses.
 
     -   <arch-qp-perspective-requirement/> is a
         `SPEC-NR-<spec-nr-requirement-id/>` reference to the corresponding
@@ -722,10 +730,11 @@ forces at play, the chosen response, and the reasoning that justifies it.
 
     ##  DECISION: <arch-dr-decision-name/> <a id="ARCH-DR-<arch-dr-decision-id/>"></a>
 
-    -   Status:    <arch-dr-decision-status/>
-    -   Affects:   <arch-dr-decision-element/>, [...]
-    -   Created:   <arch-dr-decision-created/>
-    -   Modified:  <arch-dr-decision-modified/>
+    -   Status:        <arch-dr-decision-status/>
+    -   Affects:       <arch-dr-decision-element/>, [...]
+    -   Superseded-By: <arch-dr-decision-superseded-by/>
+    -   Created:       <arch-dr-decision-created/>
+    -   Modified:      <arch-dr-decision-modified/>
 
     -   WHEN (Context):
         <arch-dr-decision-context/>
@@ -752,12 +761,17 @@ forces at play, the chosen response, and the reasoning that justifies it.
         <arch-dr-decision-decision/>, not longer than 80 characters.
 
     -   <arch-dr-decision-status/> is one of `proposed`, `accepted`,
-        `deprecated`, or `superseded by ARCH-DR-<arch-dr-decision-id/>`.
+        `deprecated`, or `superseded`.
 
     -   <arch-dr-decision-element/> is an `ARCH-FV-<arch-fv-component-id/>`
         or `ARCH-DP-<arch-dp-node-id/>` reference to the functional
         element or deployment node the decision affects.
 
+    -   <arch-dr-decision-superseded-by/> is an
+        `ARCH-DR-<arch-dr-decision-id/>` reference to the decision that
+        supersedes this decision. It is present if and only if the
+        <arch-dr-decision-status/> is `superseded`.
+
     -   <arch-dr-decision-created/> is the timestamp when this decision was
         created, and <arch-dr-decision-modified/> is the timestamp when
         this decision was last modified, both in the same ISO-style format
@@ -832,7 +846,10 @@ forces at play, the chosen response, and the reasoning that justifies it.
         job.
 
     -   In case the element reference is not present, the
-        entire `- Affects:` bullet point is omitted.
+        entire `-   Affects:` bullet point is omitted.
+
+    -   In case the <arch-dr-decision-status/> is not `superseded`, the
+        entire `-   Superseded-By:` bullet point is omitted.
 
     -   In case the `NOTES (Background)` content is not present, the
         entire `NOTES (Background)` chunk is omitted.

package/plugin/meta/ase-format-meta.md

@@ -29,9 +29,13 @@ Artifact Meta Information
 -   **Artifact**:
 
     At level 2, each **Artifact Set** is composed of many **Artifact**s.
-    Each **Artifact** has a unique identifier <artifact-id/>, which is
-    an upper-case, two-letter identifier (e.g. `CJ` for `Customer
-    Journey`) derived from the **Artifact** name.
+    Each **Artifact** has an identifier <artifact-id/>, which is an
+    upper-case, two-letter identifier (e.g. `CJ` for `Customer Journey`)
+    derived from the **Artifact** name. The <artifact-id/> is unique
+    only *within* its **Artifact Set**; the globally-unique handle of an
+    **Artifact** is the qualified form <artifact-set-id/>-<artifact-id/>
+    (e.g. `SPEC-DP` and `ARCH-DP` are distinct artifacts). All
+    references to an **Artifact** *MUST* use this qualified form.
 
     Each **Artifact** also has a sequence number <artifact-no/>, which
     is the zero-padded, two-digit position of the **Artifact** (starting

package/plugin/meta/ase-format-spec.md

@@ -871,8 +871,8 @@ for main, alternative, and exceptional paths.
 
     -   <spec-uc-usecase-description/>: a concise paragraph (1-3
         sentences) of prose describing the use case at a glance, without
-        prescribing the step-by-step flow (which belongs to the **Use
-        Case Scenarios** **Artifact**).
+        prescribing the step-by-step flow (which belongs to the
+        **SCENARIO** blocks of this use case).
 
     -   In case the use case realizes no specific functional requirement,
         the entire `- Requirements:` bullet point is omitted.
@@ -884,7 +884,7 @@ for main, alternative, and exceptional paths.
 
     <format>
 
-    ### SCENARIO: <spec-uc-usecase-scenario-name/> (<spec-uc-usecase-scenario-type/>)
+    ### SCENARIO: <spec-uc-usecase-scenario-name/> (<spec-uc-usecase-scenario-type/>) <a id="SPEC-UC-<spec-uc-usecase-id/>-<spec-uc-usecase-scenario-id/>"></a>
 
     1.  <spec-uc-usecase-scenario-step/>
     2.  <spec-uc-usecase-scenario-step/>
@@ -894,6 +894,11 @@ for main, alternative, and exceptional paths.
 
 -   <spec-uc-usecase-scenario/> details:
 
+    -   <spec-uc-usecase-scenario-id/>: per-use-case unique "slug" of
+        always 1-3 lower-cased words (concatenated with "-" characters
+        and in total not longer than 30 characters), derived from
+        <spec-uc-usecase-scenario-name/>.
+
     -   <spec-uc-usecase-scenario-name/>: a short (3-8 word) summary of the
         scenario.
 
@@ -1213,9 +1218,9 @@ turn.
         visualizes (optional).
 
     -   <spec-ds-storyboard-scenario/> is a
-        Use Case scenario type `<spec-uc-usecase-scenario-type/>` of
-        the corresponding **Aspect** of the Use Case **Artifact** the
-        storyboard visualizes (optional).
+        `SPEC-UC-<spec-uc-usecase-id/>-<spec-uc-usecase-scenario-id/>`
+        reference to the corresponding scenario **Aspect** of the Use
+        Case **Artifact** the storyboard visualizes (optional).
 
     -   <spec-ds-frame-name/>: a short (2-5 word) label for the screen,
         turn, or state depicted by the storyboard frame. Frames are

package/plugin/meta/ase-getopt.md

@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ set placeholders into the context as a side-effect.
         `--<long/>[|-<short/>][=<default/>|=(<c1/>|<c2/>|...)[...]]`, set
         <getopt-option-<long/>/> to <default/> (for `=<default/>`
         form), or to the *single token* <c1/> (the first choice, both
-        for the choice form `=(<c1/>|<c2>/|...)` and for the list form
-        `=(<c1/>|<c2>/|...)...` -- an *unsupplied* list-option always
+        for the choice form `=(<c1/>|<c2/>|...)` and for the list form
+        `=(<c1/>|<c2/>|...)...` -- an *unsupplied* list-option always
         defaults to the single token <c1/>, *not* to a whole list),
         or to `false` (for value-less options). Then set
         <getopt-arguments><getopt-args/></getopt-arguments>.
@@ -63,6 +63,10 @@ set placeholders into the context as a side-effect.
     validate each remaining token themselves as they consume it).
 
 4.  **Short-Circuit for Error**:
+    This step is the *sole* and *authoritative* handler for an
+    `ERROR:`-prefixed `ase_getopt` response; the generic MCP-Tool-Calls
+    error rule (see `ase-skill.md`) explicitly does *NOT* apply here, so
+    only the <template/> below is emitted (never both).
     If <text/> starts with `ERROR:`:
     Remove all `ERROR:` or `error:` prefixes from <text/>.
     Then only output the following <template/> and
@@ -92,7 +96,8 @@ set placeholders into the context as a side-effect.
     `<getopt-result/>.opts[<longN/>]`.
     Set <getopt-arguments/> to the value of `<getopt-result/>.args`.
     Set <getopt-info/> to `<getopt-result/>.info`, but remove
-    information about the `help` option.
+    information about the `help` option and any *internal* option
+    whose long name starts with `int-`.
 
 7.  **Display Results**:
     Just output the following <template/>:

package/plugin/meta/ase-skill.md

@@ -119,15 +119,25 @@ Skill Sequential Processing
     For speed, emit *all* `TaskCreate` calls together in a *single* turn
     (issued in parallel), *not* one-per-turn sequentially. Do *not*
     rely on the call order to establish the step order, as the parallel
-    results carry no guaranteed ordering. Instead, in the *immediately
-    following* turn, establish the strict order explicitly by chaining
-    the created tasks with `TaskUpdate`: for each <step/> after the
-    first one, call `TaskUpdate({ taskId: "<this/>", addBlockedBy:
-    [ "<prev/>" ] })` so that every step (with `taskId` <this/>) is
-    blocked by its predecessor step (with `taskId` <prev/>).
+    results carry no guaranteed ordering.
+
+    Instead, in the *immediately single following* turn, first
+    reconstruct the step-id-to-taskId mapping: because each task's
+    `subject` equals the originating <step/> `id` (and <step/> ids are
+    unique), match every created task back to its <step/> by comparing
+    the task's `subject` to the step `id` -- read the ids straight from
+    the `TaskCreate` results, or call `TaskList` if the results are
+    no longer at hand.
+
+    Then establish the strict order explicitly by chaining the created
+    tasks with `TaskUpdate`: for each <step/> after the first one,
+    resolve <this/> and <prev/> to the mapped `taskId` values and
+    call `TaskUpdate({ taskId: "<this/>", addBlockedBy: [ "<prev/>" ]
+    })` so that every step (with `taskId` <this/>) is blocked by its
+    predecessor step (with `taskId` <prev/>).
 
 -   *IMPORTANT*: For each <step/> you *MUST* use the `TaskUpdate` tool
-    for updating its status during processing.
+    for updating its status *during* processing, once a <step/> finished.
 
 -   *IMPORTANT*: You *MUST* sequentially execute every <step/> in
     a <flow/> *EXACTLY* as the instructions specify.
@@ -172,6 +182,12 @@ MCP Tool Calls
         ⧉ **ASE**: **ERROR:** MCP tool failed: <info/>
         </template>
 
+        *EXCEPTION*: this rule does *NOT* apply to the `ase_getopt` tool,
+        whose `ERROR:`-prefixed output is *expected* option-parsing
+        feedback handled exclusively by step 4 of the `getopt` procedure
+        (see `ase-getopt.md`); never emit this generic template for an
+        `ase_getopt` response.
+
     -   Only on a clean response: proceed as the skill instructs.
 
 Skill Identification
@@ -232,9 +248,12 @@ Template Patterns
     </template>
 
 -   When `<ase-tpl-head title="<title/>"/>` should be expanded, use
-    (where <title-len/> is the number of characters in the string
-    `⧉ ASE: <title/>`, and <bar/> is the `─` character repeated exactly
-    (67 - <title-len/>) times):
+    (where <raw-title/> is the visible un-styled text `⧉ ASE: <title/>`,
+    <raw-title-len/> is the number of characters in <raw-title/>, and
+    <bar/> is the `─` character repeated exactly max(0, 67 - <raw-title-len/>)
+    times -- clamped to zero so an over-long title never yields a negative
+    count -- the very same bar-width rule as `<ase-tpl-foot/>` and
+    `<ase-tpl-boxed/>`, so equal visible text yields equal total width):
 
     <template>
 
@@ -251,9 +270,12 @@ Template Patterns
     </template>
 
 -   When `<ase-tpl-foot title="<title/>"/>` should be expanded, use
-    (where <title-len/> is the number of characters in the string
-    `⧉ ASE: <title/>`, and <bar/> is the `─` character repeated exactly
-    (67 - <title-len/>) times):
+    (where <raw-title/> is the visible un-styled text `⧉ ASE: <title/>`,
+    <raw-title-len/> is the number of characters in <raw-title/>, and
+    <bar/> is the `─` character repeated exactly max(0, 67 - <raw-title-len/>)
+    times -- clamped to zero so an over-long title never yields a negative
+    count -- the very same bar-width rule as `<ase-tpl-head/>` and
+    `<ase-tpl-boxed/>`, so equal visible text yields equal total width):
 
     <template>
 
@@ -275,19 +297,24 @@ Template Patterns
     </else>
 
 -   When `<ase-tpl-boxed title="<title/>"[ subtitle="<subtitle/>"]><content/></ase-tpl-boxed>`
-    should be expanded use the following helper placeholder and then the <template/>:
+    should be expanded use the following helper placeholders and then
+    the following <template/>:
 
     -   <if condition="<subtitle/> is not empty">
-            Set <raw-title>⧉ ASE: <title/>: <subtitle/><raw-title>.
+            Set <raw-title>⧉ ASE: <title/>: <subtitle/></raw-title>.
             Set <render-title>⧉ ASE: **`<title/>`**: `<subtitle/>`</render-title>.
         </if>
         <else>
-            Set <raw-title>⧉ ASE: <title/><raw-title>.
+            Set <raw-title>⧉ ASE: <title/></raw-title>.
             Set <render-title>⧉ ASE: **`<title/>`**</render-title>.
         </else>
-    -   Set <raw-title-len/> to the number of characters in <raw-title/>.
-    -   Set <bar/> to the `─` character repeated exactly (67 - <raw-title-len/>) times.
-    -   Set <body> to <content/> with all line-starts prefixed with `│ `.
+    -   Set <raw-title-len/> to the number of characters in the visible
+        un-styled text <raw-title/>.
+    -   Set <bar/> to the `─` character repeated exactly max(0, 67 - <raw-title-len/>)
+        times -- clamped to zero so an over-long title never yields a negative
+        count -- the very same bar-width rule as `<ase-tpl-head/>` and
+        `<ase-tpl-foot/>`, so equal visible text yields equal total width.
+    -   Set <body/> to <content/> with all line-starts prefixed with `│ `.
 
     <template>
 
@@ -324,7 +351,8 @@ Template Patterns
     <template>🟠</template>
 
 -   When `<ase-tpl-pad width="<width/>" text="<text/>"/>` should be expanded, use
-    (where <ws/> = ` ` x (<width/> - length("<text/>")), i.e., <ws/> is
-    the ` ` character repeated (<width/> - length("<text/>")) times):
+    (where <ws/> = ` ` x max(0, <width/> - length("<text/>")), i.e., <ws/> is
+    the ` ` character repeated max(0, <width/> - length("<text/>")) times --
+    clamped to zero so an over-long text never yields a negative count):
 
     <template><text/><ws/></template>

package/plugin/package.json

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     "homepage":                             "http://github.com/rse/ase",
     "repository":                           { "url": "git+https://github.com/rse/ase.git", "type": "git" },
     "bugs":                                 { "url": "http://github.com/rse/ase/issues" },
-    "version":                              "0.9.12",
+    "version":                              "0.9.14",
     "license":                              "GPL-3.0-only",
     "author": {
         "name":                             "Dr. Ralf S. Engelschall",

package/plugin/skills/ase-arch-analyze/SKILL.md

@@ -375,13 +375,19 @@ interface quality, quality attributes, and architecture governance.
     - *Focal aspect*: <focal-aspect/> - <focal-state/>
     - *In tension with*: <partner-list/>
 
-    **RECOMMENDED**: lean toward *<focal|partners/>*
+    **RECOMMENDED**: lean toward *<lean-toward/>*
     *Reason*: <rationale/>
     *Implies*:
-    - <partner-aspect-1/>: <partner-implication-1/>
-    - <partner-aspect-2/>: <partner-implication-2/>
+    - <partner-aspect/>: <partner-implication/>
+    - ...
     </template>
 
+    For each partner in <partner-list/>, repeat the `*Implies*` line,
+    set <partner-aspect/> to the partner aspect, and set
+    <partner-implication/> to its brief implication. Set <lean-toward/>
+    to the aspect direction the recommendation favors (the *focal
+    aspect* or the *partners*).
+
     Hints:
 
     - For the final results, do *not* output anything else,
@@ -393,9 +399,13 @@ interface quality, quality attributes, and architecture governance.
       DEPENDENCY-DIRECTION`).
 
     - The <focal-aspect/> is the aspect that participates in
-      *all* tensions of the cluster. For a size-2 cluster, pick
-      the aspect whose direction is most constrained by the
-      detected style.
+      *all* tensions of the cluster. In a size-2 cluster both
+      aspects participate equally in the single tension, so this
+      rule cannot disambiguate; instead pick the focal aspect by
+      the first applicable tiebreaker: (1) the aspect whose
+      direction is more constrained by the detected style; else
+      (2) the aspect carrying the *higher* finding severity; else
+      (3) the aspect listed *first* in the tension matrix pair.
 
     - *Brevity and precision*: all free-form placeholders
       (<description/>, <focal-state/>, partner-implications)
@@ -429,13 +439,16 @@ interface quality, quality attributes, and architecture governance.
       for the same aspect, and never emit both halves of a
       tension pair as separate PROBLEMs.
 
-    - *Additionally*, first call the `ase_kv_clear()` tool of the `ase`
-      MCP server to clear the in-memory key/value store, and then,
-      for *every* reported PROBLEM and TRADEOFF, persist its finding
-      result via the `ase_kv_set` tool of the `ase` MCP server, using
-      `key` set to `ase-issue-P<n/>` (for PROBLEMs) or
-      `ase-issue-T<n/>` (for TRADEOFFs) and `val` set to
-      `<title/>: <description/>`.
+    - *Additionally*, persist all reported findings in a *single*
+      `ase_kv_batch` call to the `ase` MCP server with `transactional`
+      set to `true`. The `commands` parameter array of this call
+      starts with one `{ command: "clear", prefix: "ase-issue-" }`
+      entry (which removes only the previously persisted `ase-issue-*`
+      keys, leaving any unrelated keys in the shared store intact),
+      followed by one `{ command: "set", key: "ase-issue-P<n/>", val:
+      "<title/>: <description/>" }` entry per reported PROBLEM and one
+      `{ command: "set", key: "ase-issue-T<n/>", val: "<title/>:
+      <description/>" }` entry per reported TRADEOFF.
     </step>
 
 4.  <step id="STEP 4: Give Final Hint">